New 46 gallon bow front build.

[Hooj]

Hello Reefcentral!

I recently bought a used 46 gallon bow front and am working on (the sometimes overwhelming) process of setting up my first saltwater tank. I plan on housing both fish, and softer corals more suitable for the beginner aquarist.

The next aspect of the tank I'm trying to work on is the lighting.

Included in the deal was 36'' Coralife T5 - Please excuse me as I've never owned lights such as this before, but I can only get the 2 "purple" bulbs that power on per one rocker switch, and i assume the rocker switch next to it, would power on the other 2 bulbs, but i can not get them to power on. even after waiting a whole day with them powered on in case of an integrated timer. Also, there are two blue LEDs on this fixture, and only one of them powers on. I am worried this light fixutre is broken.

Also included:
1 MH Fixture
1 Refugium Light

A (not so) local fish store, who I have been very impressed with, told me they can make an LED lighting set up for me.

LED panel is a 165w (55 LED x 3watt/each) multicolor Dimmable fixture that includes a hanging kit and has 3 built in fans. I believe they are asking around $220 for the fixture.

FROM LFS EMAIL: "By mixing 2 different colors of blue with cool white, green, red, UV, and violet LEDs we have created a full spectrum panels that delivers a par of about 180 in the sand bed of a 24" tall tank. This par is enough to grow any coral you could desire"

Also in the deal, i got an oceanic 1/6hp heater/chiller. According to the guy I purchased the tank from, he used the chiller due to the t5/MH's giving off too much heat. Due to the energy costs a chiller can run, Id prefer to run a more energy efficent setup with LED's if possible.

So my thinking is to sell (or trade) the chiller, and purchase this LED light set up.

Being a novice, I'm unsure if i am making the right decision here. With the cost of chillers, I'm worried about getting rid of it, and possibly needing one again down the road - only to spend more money buying a new one. Does anyone who runs LED's need a chiller as well? I'm thinking probably not? So basically I'm trying to decide if should try and use the t5/MH with the chiller, or swap to a LED/chillerless set up.

Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

Could just be the two bulbs that won't turn on are just burned out? Did you try swapping the two bulbs that work into the two spots that don't turn on to see whether it's the bulbs or the fixture itself? At any rate, I don't really see a need for the chiller if you run the halides and T5's. I ran 250w halides over a 30g cube for years. I just clipped a fan to the canopy to help dissipate the heat.

That being said, the initial price for LED lighting is high, but in the long run, you don't have to change the bulbs like you have to with halide and T5 lighting. Those bulbs are typically changed every 9 months or so.

 

[Hooj]

Thank you for your input. Do you feel the LED rig described in the email from the LFS would be a good choice and keep my tank healthy and looking great?

 

[cody125g]

I would hook up the metal halide I run leds but I would like to have metal halide much more coral growth. I would suggest using either the t5 or led stunner strips to accent the mh.

 

[boogly]

Welcome to Reef Central Hooj. You don't say where you are located. I live in Texas and run LED lights over my tank. I am hoping Santa will bring me chiller for Christmas. My tank is built into the wall and that may account for some heat. I would suggest hanging onto that chiller through at least one summer before deciding to get rid of it.

 

[Hooj]

Thanks for the replies!

I am located in Daytona Beach, FL. I thought I added that info when I registered but I guess I didn't save it.

I would like to keep the chiller around, but was hoping to avoid using it if possible as I know it can be a costly unit to run. Most stores and people that i've spoke to, have all told me to sell the chiller, pick up some led's, and use the extra money on fish and corals.

Now that I seem to need to repair my coralife T5's that I got with the tank, it seemed like I may as well use LED's from the start. I plan on taking the fixture to my LFS this week to see if they can estimate how much time and money it will cost to get the fixture operating again. So any advice on my lighting situation is very welcome.

I am also trying to figure out if the pumps i have will be sufficient for my tank.
I have 2 rio 1100's and 1 maxijet 1250.

Also trying to figure out which Koralia powerhead would be proper for my size tank and if I will need 1, or 2.

hope to get to know some of you better soon!